Austin #1 Of 10 Best Cities For The Next Decade

Kiplinger Magazine searched for the top cities in America poised to prosper economically in the next decade, evaluating American cities for growth and growth potential.

Kiplinger found that though some U.S. cities may have been slowed by the Great Recession, they still have managed to thrive by "lifting good old American innovation to new levels."

#1 of those American cities lifting American innovation to new levels is Austin, Texas.

In article, titled "10 Best Cities for the Next Decade" Kiplinger said of Austin...

"Austin is arguably the the country's best crucible for small business, offering a dozen community programs that form a neural network of business brainpower to help entrepreneurs. Now overlay that net with a dozen venture-capital funds and 20 or so business associations, plus incubators, educational opportunities and networking events. Mix all these elements in what many call a classless society, where hippie communalism coexists with no-nonsense capitalism, and you've got a breeding ground for start-ups.

Don’t discount the fun factor: In the self-proclaimed live-music capital of the world, music and business creativity riff off one another. The city’s famous South by Southwest festival, where concerts, independent film screenings and emerging technology overlap, is a prime example."

Hippie communalism? I think I want to move to Austin.

#2 on the Kiplinger list is a town I am familiar with, called Seattle. Seattle is in Washington.

This is what Kiplinger had to say about Seattle...

"Rain City? We'd say Brain City. Home to a well-educated workforce, a world-class research university, über innovators Microsoft, Amazon and Boeing, and a host of risk-taking, garage-tinkering entrepreneurs, Seattle crackles with creative energy. "We only have two products here: smart people and great ideas," says Mark Emmert, president of the University of Washington.

Seattle is revising its tax, zoning and permit policies to make them more business-friendly, says Johnson. Meanwhile, this sophisticated Pacific Rim city has other qualities to recommend it, including great food, a glorious setting, an outdoorsy culture, enough rain to keep the locals' complexions looking dewy -- and, yeah, plenty of smart people."

I used to be one of those smart people. And then I moved to Fort Worth where I've been dumbing down for a decade. So, Austin had a fun factor working in its favor, apparently funner than Seattle? I've had fun in both towns. I'd have to give the fun edge to Seattle. Austin has no Ferry Boats or Cruise Ships. No Space Needle or Monorail. No Pike Place Market. No NFL or Professional Baseball Team that I know of.

Austin has a nude beach at Hippie Hollow. Seattle does not have a nude beach. Both towns participate in the bizarre World Nude Bike Ride.

The rest of Kiplinger's Top Ten Towns ready to boom in the next decade are...

3. Washington, D.C.
4. Boulder, Colorado
5. Salt Lake City, Utah
6. Rochester, Minnesota
7. Des Moines, Iowa
8. Burlington, Vermont
9. West Hartford, Connecticut
10. Topeka, Kansas